Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Historic Preservation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Hinsdale Preservation Commission approves three preservation projects, forwards grant recommendations to village board
Summary
At its July 1 meeting the Hinsdale Preservation Commission unanimously approved two preservation-incentive applications (232 S. Clay and 633 S. Washington) and an exterior appearance/site-plan review (6 W. First), and recommended matching grants for the two incentive cases to the village board for consideration July 21.
The Hinsdale Preservation Commission on July 1 unanimously approved three downtown and residential preservation projects and voted to forward two matching-grant recommendations to the village board for review.
The commission approved case HPC-7-2026, a preservation-incentive application for 232 South Clay Street, after hearing from owner Reie Wenus. Wenus said she has lived in the house four years and asked for a building-permit fee waiver, expedited processing and a matching grant to replace deteriorated enclosed-porch windows. Commissioners agreed the porch dates to the 1930s and that the existing windows no longer operate. The commission approved the permit-fee waiver and expedited processing under its authority and voted unanimously to recommend a matching grant; the grant recommendation is expected to go to the village board for first reading on July 21. "We've been solely going through and preserving it," Wenus told commissioners.
The commission also approved HPC-9-2026 for 633 South Washington Street. Architect Richard Olsen presented plans to remove a 1990s rear addition and construct a roughly 400-square-foot rear addition in a compatible Tudor Revival style, along with interior renovations intended to allow the homeowners to age in place. Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the fee-waiver and expedited-processing request and to recommend the property-tax rebate and matching grant to the village board.
Downtown exterior work at 6 West First Street and 8–10 West First Street (case A-26-2026) was approved in a separate motion. Pete Tordelloo of Fairfield Properties described facade replacements (Hardie plank), new roofing, restored storefronts, reduced non-tandem parking and dumpster relocation; commissioners voted unanimously to grant exterior-appearance and site-plan approval. Tordelloo said the project aims to reactivate a rear coach-house space and hopes to have tenant space ready by November if permits proceed.
Votes at a glance
- HPC-7-2026 (232 S. Clay St.): motion to approve building-permit fee waiver and expedited processing — carried unanimously (Barkley, Weinberger, Elder, Olsen, Chairman Bonan: yes). Recommendation to village board for matching grant — carried unanimously; board consideration expected July 21.
- HPC-9-2026 (633 S. Washington St.): motion to approve permit fee waiver and expedited processing — carried unanimously. Recommendation for property-tax rebate and matching grant to village board — carried unanimously.
- A-26-2026 (6 W. 1st / 8–10 W. 1st): exterior appearance and site-plan review approval — carried unanimously.
Why it matters
The approvals clear the way for owners and developers to proceed with repairs and modest additions intended to preserve historic character while improving usability. The twin preservation-incentive cases will come before the village board for final action on grant awards, making July 21 the next step for those funds.
Commissioners praised preservation-minded approaches during discussion. "I think that's a great job," one commissioner said in reference to the window selection on the Clay Street project, and developers emphasized efforts to match proportion and materials to existing buildings.
What comes next
The two matching-grant recommendations will be forwarded to the village board for consideration on July 21. The approved exterior and site-plan project will proceed to permitting; applicants were reminded to follow staff guidance on building permitting and construction sequencing.
